Key Moments and Events leading up to, during and after the War Dates Events 31 March 1905 The German Emperor, Wilhelm II visits Tangier with the aim of destabilizing French control over Morocco. He announces his support for Morocco’s independence from France. The French and their British Allies prepare for war. 16 January to 7 April The Moroccan crisis is temporarily resolved at a conference of the Great Powers at 1906 Algeciras in Spain. Only Austria-Hungary supported the German position. France retained control of Morocco but ceded part of the French Congo to Germany. The crisis increased the tension between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. April – July 1908 A revolt against the rule of Sultan Abdel Hamid II, led by the Young Turks (Genç Türkler), reflected growing popular unrest about the interference of the other Great Powers in the Ottoman Empire’s European territories. 5 October 1908 Bulgaria, already a fairly autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire, declared its independence. 6 October 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina without consulting the other Great Powers. Serbia mobilized for war with the support of Russia but did not have the support of Britain and France. 13 April 1909 (31 Known as the 31 March Incident (31 Mart Olayi), this was a coup by conservative forces March 1325 on the opposed to the constitutional government led by the Committee of Union and Progress Rumi Calendar) (an umbrella political organization including the Young Turks. It reflected divisions within the army between the new secularist elite within the army trained in military academies and “the old guard” who had risen through the ranks and now felt sidelined. The coup was suppressed in 11 days and the Sultan was deposed. May-June 1911 A rebellion in Morocco against the pro-French Sultan in April led to French troops (and Spanish troops) being sent to suppress it. Germany sent a gunboat to the port of Agadir, apparently to protect German interests. As in the first Moroccan crisis in 1906, Britain supported France and Kaiser Wilhelm backed down. October 1912 to May In the spring of 1912 there were a series of Albanian uprisings against their Ottoman 1913 overlords. Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro, seeking to exploit the chaos in the Ottoman Empire declared war and won a series of battles against Ottoman troops. As a result the Ottoman Empire lost most of its European territories and an independent Albanian state was created. 16 June 1913 Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the territories gained in the 1st Balkan War declared war on its former allies, Serbia and Greece. Once war had begun Montenegro, Romania and the Ottoman Empire also joined the opposition to Bulgaria. The outcome was that Bulgaria lost most of the territory it had gained in the 1st Balkan war to the opposing Allies with Serbia doubling her territory and Greece increasing her territory by nearly 70%. 28 June 1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie in Sarajevo by Bosnian Serb nationalists. 5 July 1914 The Kaiser promises support for Austria-Hungary against Serbia. 28 July 1914 On 23 July Austria-Hungary, after ensuring it had the support of its ally, Germany, presented the Serbian government with an ultimatum. It should cease anti-Austrian propaganda, disband all anti0Austrian organisations, the two Serbian officials involved in the assassination plot should be arrested and tried and Austrian officials should be involved in the Serbian inquiry into the plot. The Serbian government accepted all of these demands except the last. At the same time the Serbian army mobilized for war. 1 August 1914 After Russia mobilized for war and called on its ally France to do the same, Germany declared war on Russia. 2-8 August 1914 Germany implemented the Schlieffen Plan and invaded Luxembourg and Belgium with the aim of defeating France quickly and then moving troops to Germany’s Eastern frontier before Russia could fully mobilize its forces. 3 August 1914 Germany declares war on France. 4 August 1914 Britain warns Germany to withdraw from neutral Belgium. The warning is ignored and Britain declares war on Germany. 6 August 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia and Serbia declares war on Germany. 1 9 August 1914 The British Expeditionary Force (all regular army) began embarking for Belgium and once landed marched for the Belgium-German border to join the Belgian army which was already delaying the German advance. The French army was deployed along the Franco- German border. 7-9 August 1914 Meanwhile the Russian 1st and 2nd armies were advancing into East Prussia and facing little resistance. 17 August 1914 The German 8th Army launched a counter-attack on the Russian 1st army. After early success they were forced to retreat at the Battle of Gumbinnen, close to the Russian border. Fearing that the Russians might now threaten Berlin the German High Command replaced the commanders on the Eastern Front with Generals Hindenburg and Ludendorff who halted the German retreat. 19 August 1914 President Woodrow Wilson announces that the United States will remain neutral in the conflict. 23 August 1914 Japan declared war on Germany. This meant that Russia and Japan were now allies and the Russian High Command did not face a threat from the east. They could concentrate on attacking the German army in the west. 23-24 August 1914 Meanwhile the French 5th Army was fighting the German 2nd and 3rd armies at Charleroi in southern Belgium while the British were alongside side them facing the German 1st army at Mons. Outnumbered 3 to 1 their orders were to hold the German 1st army for 24 hours to protect the left flank of the French. They held the line for 48 hours but then both the British and French were forced to retreat across the French border fighting rearguard actions all the way. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. 21-26 August 1914 The Schlieffen Plan had not worked as intended. The fast advance into France and the anticipated capitulation of the French army had not happened. The British had had time to build up forces in Belgium and the Russians had had time to advance into north-east Germany. The Russian 2nd army continued to advance southwards towards the River Vistula and became detached from the 1st army, which was advancing on Königsberg. 26-30 August 1914 The Russian 2nd army suffered a major defeat at the hands of the German 8th army at the Battle of Tannenberg, with 78.000 killed or wounded and 92.000 taken prisoner. The Commander of the Russian 2nd Army, General Samsonov committed suicide rather than tell the Tsar that the 2nd army had been destroyed. 1 – 13 September The Russian 1st army was ordered to hold its position and the 10th army was sent to 1914 reinforce it. Russian forces were spread along a line from Königsberg in the north to the Masurian Lakes in the south. After a fierce battle with the German 8th army the Russians were force to retreat back across the Russo-German border. Another major defeat for the Russian army with 125.000 killed or wounded and 45.000 taken prisoner. By comparison the Germans had 40.000 casualties. 6-12 September The British and French armies were pushed back to the Rivers Seine and Marne about 50 1914 kilometres from Paris. There they launched a counter-attack and succeeded in driving a wedge between the German 1st and 2 armies in what came to be known as “The miracle of the Marne”. So crucial was the outcome that 600 taxis were used to take French reservists form Paris to the battle front. The German armies retreated and started to construct a line of defensive trenches in Alsace-Lorraine and south to the Swiss border. September 12 – 18 The only room for manoeuvre now was further north in Flanders. Both sides embarked October 1914 on what some historians call “the race to the sea” in an attempt to outflank each other. If the Allies were outflanked the whole of France would be vulnerable. If the Germans were outflanked their communications link back to Germany would be cut off. 19 October - 22 1st Battle of Ypres. The town of Ypres (French) or Ieper (Flemish) was strategically November 1914 significant. Just 50 kilometres from Dunkirk and the sea. The British needed it to keep their supply lines open. The Germans and the French saw it as the gateway to the French coastal towns of Calais and Boulogne. Ypres had been taken by the German army at the beginning of the war. In October it was recaptured by British forces who were then attacked by a larger German force for more than 4 weeks until they were reinforced by French, Belgian and Canadian forces. Defences were constructed along a line known as the salient; a pocket of land which projects out into enemy-held territory and is vulnerable to attack from three sides. The Germans abandoned the offensive in late November because of the deteriorating winter weather. There were heavy casualties on all sides. After this battle the British needed to reinforce their regular army with conscripted soldiers. 2 28-29 October 1914 The Ottoman Empire formally entered the war on the side of the Triple Alliance when it bombarded the Russian Black Sea ports. 25 December 1914 The famous Christmas Day unofficial ‘truce’. When Allied and German soldiers in the trenches just 100 metres apart around Ypres met in No Man’s Land and celebrated Christmas together. Such fraternization was subsequently forbidden by the high Commands of both sides.